Short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".[1] In the United States, short films were generally termed short subjects from the 1920s into the 1970s when confined to two 35 mm reels or less, and featurettes for a film of three or four reels. "Short" was an abbreviation for either term.
The increasingly rare industry term "short subject" carries more of an assumption that the film is shown as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short films are often screened at local, national, or international
History
Short comedies were especially common, and typically came in a
's Little Tramp character).In the 1930s, the distribution system changed in many countries, owing to the
The year 1938 proved to be a turning point in the history of film comedies.
Theater managers found it easier and more convenient to fit shorter, one-reel (10-minute) subjects into their double-feature programs. In the live-action field, RKO's Flicker Flashbacks revivals of silent films ran from 1943 to 1956, and Warner Bros.' Joe McDoakes comedies became a regular series in 1946 and lasted until 1956. By and large, however, the movies' one-reel subject of choice was the animated cartoon, produced by Walt Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Paramount, Walter Lantz, Columbia, and Terrytoons.
One of the movies' oldest short-subject formats was the adventure serial, first established in 1912. A serial generally ran for 12 to 15 chapters, 15 to 20 minutes each. Every episode ended with the hero or heroine trapped in a life-threatening situation; audiences would have to return the following week to see the outcome. These "chapter plays" remained popular through the 1950s, although both Columbia and Republic Pictures were now making them as cheaply as possible, reusing action highlights from older serials and connecting them with a few new scenes showing identically dressed actors. Even after Republic quit making serials in 1955 and Columbia stopped in 1956, faithful audiences supported them and the studios re-released older serials through the mid-1960s. The 1964 revival of Columbia's Batman serial resulted in a media frenzy, spurring a new Batman TV series and a wave of Batman merchandise.
With the rise of television, the commercial live-action short was virtually dead; most studios canceled their live-action series in 1956. Only The Three Stooges continued making two-reel comedies; their last was released in 1959. Short films had become a medium for student, independent and specialty work.
Cartoon shorts had a longer life, due in part to the implementation of lower-cost
Modern era
A few animated shorts continue within the mainstream commercial distribution. For instance, Pixar has screened a short along with each of its feature films during its initial theatrical run since 1995 (producing shorts permanently since 2001).[2] Since Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, Disney has also produced animated shorts since 2007 with the Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater and produced a series of live-action ones featuring The Muppets for viewing on YouTube as viral videos to promote the 2011 movie of the same name.
In 2009 the horror short film, No Through Road, that would go viral was released, creating analog horror. The short film would spark 3 sequels, creating No Through Road (web series)
DreamWorks Animation often produces a short sequel to include in the special edition video releases of major features, and are typical of a sufficient length to be broadcast as a TV special, a few films from the studio have added theatrical shorts as well.[citation needed] Warner Bros. often includes old shorts from its considerable library, connected only thematically, on the DVD releases of classic WB movies. From 2010–2012, Warner Bros. also released new Looney Tunes shorts before family films.[citation needed]
Shorts are occasionally broadcast as filler when a feature film or other work does not fit the standard broadcast schedule. ShortsTV was the first television channel dedicated to short films.[citation needed]
However, short films generally rely on film festival exhibition to reach an audience. Such movies can also be distributed via the Internet. Certain websites which encourage the submission of user-created short films, such as YouTube and Vimeo, have attracted large communities of artists and viewers.[citation needed] Sites like Omeleto, FILMSshort, Short of the Week, Short Films Matter, Short Central and some apps showcase curated shorts.
Short films are a typical first stage for new filmmakers, but professional actors and crews often still choose to create short films as an alternative form of expression.[citation needed] Amateur filmmaking has grown in popularity as equipment has become more accessible.
The lower production costs of short films often mean that short films can cover alternative subject matter as compared to higher budget feature films. Similarly, unconventional filmmaking techniques such as Pixilation or narratives that are told without dialogue, are more often seen in short films than features.
Tropfest claims to be the world's largest short film festival. Tropfest now takes place in Australia (its birthplace), Arabia, the US and elsewhere. Originating in 1993, Tropfest is often credited as being at least partially responsible for the recent popularity of short films internationally.[citation needed] Also Couch Fest Films, part of Shnit Worldwide Filmfestival, claimed to be the world's largest single-day short film festival.[4]
Among the oldest film festivals dedicated to short films are Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France (since 1979), Tampere Film Festival, Finland (since 1969) and International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany (since 1954). All of them are still considered the most important short film festival in the world to date.
Short Film Conference (SFC) has been in existence since 1970 as a non-profit organization to unite the global short film community. Its network consists of hundreds of members representing over 40 countries from all over the globe. SFC's activities range from organizing industry events and the annual conference to monitoring and researching the short film industry, informing its professionals & lobbying for the rights of short films and their creators. The Short Film Conference's Code of Ethics offers guidelines for short film festivals to consider.
See also
- Reel, for an explanation of the historic term "two-reeler"
- List of animated short series
- List of independent short films
- List of short subjects by Hollywood studio
- Micro movie
- Movieola: The Short Film Channel
- Music video
- One-minute film
- Tampere Film Festival
- The Journal of Short Film
- Tropfest
References
- AMPAS. Archivedfrom the original on 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ Pixar Short Films Web Site Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine [dead link]
- ^ Holden, Stephen (1 February 2013). "Far From Epic Length, but on the Shortlist for Oscar Glory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "CouchFest is now a part of SHNIT Short Film Fest (Philly Oct 17, 2015)". 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
External links
- Short Films at Curlie
- British Film Institute: "Writing Short Films" by Phil Parker screenonline, website of the British Film Institute